Locomotive spring suspension



March 21, 1950 B. F. LANGER LOCOMOTIVE SPRING SUSPENSION Filed Feb. 24, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I INVENTOR .Ee'rnqrd/TLanger. 4 h 9 AT RNEY WITNESSES: (S 4 if March 21, 1950 B. F. LANGER 2,501,342

LOCOMOTIVEZ SPRING SUSPENSION Filed Feb. '24, 1947 I 2 Sheets$heet 2 448000 lbs.

" i Tl;

i|.4" ||.4" 1 Fig. 3. I l l lzsoool l5000| [15000] |25ooo| Spring Scale lbs./in. I785O 48900 48900 W850 Spring Height ins. l5 ||.4 ||'.4 l5 Spring Deflection ins. 0 0 0 0 Spring Load lbs. 0 0 0 0 Unsprung Load lbs. 25000 l5000 l5000 25000 Rail Load lbs. 25000 |5000 I5000 25000 448000 lbs. 9 Flg. 4.

6prlng Scale lbs/in. l 7850 48 900 48900 l7850 Spring Height ins. 9 9 9 9 Spring'Defleciion ins. 6 2.4 2.4 6 Spring Load lbs. l07000 H7000 H7000 I07000 Unsprung Load lbs. 25000 l5000 [5000 25000 Rail Load ;lbs. I32000 l32000 l32000 l32000 Load per Axle lbs. 66000 66000 66000 66000 246000 lbs.

l0.5 Fig. 5.

25000 l5000 l5000 I 25000 Spring Scale lbs./in. |7850 48900 48900 17850 Spring Height ins. I05 I05 I05 I05 Spring Deflection ins. 4.5 I 0.9 0.9 4.5 Spring Load lbs. 80000 43000 43000 80000 Unsprung Load lbs. 25000 [5000 I5000 25000 Rail Load lbs. l05000 58000 58000 l05000 Load per Axle lbs. 52500 29000 29000 52500 WITNESSES: INVENTOR Bernard F. Longer.

Patented Mar. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE SPRING SUSPENSION Application February 24, 1947, Serial No. 730,592

Claims. (Cl. 105-73) My invention relates, generally, to locomotive spring-suspension systems and, more particularly, to spring suspensions for motorized locomotive tenders.

In locomotives for heavy freight service, the use of too many idle, non-powered axles is uneconomical because the starting tractive effort is limited by the weight on the drivers. In some steam locomotives tractive force is obtained from the axles on the tender by means of boosters. In a recently proposed steam-turbine-electric locomotive, motors will be placed on some of the tender axles in order to obtain sufficient tractive effort.

In a tender having a spring equalization system of the conventional type there is a large variation in the axle load between the full and the empty conditions of the tender. Thus, if sufficient power is applied to the tender axles to make full use of the axle load when the locomotive starts its run with a fully loaded tender, the wheels on the tender axles will slip badly later on, when most of the fuel and water have been used.

An object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide a spring suspension for a motorized locomotive tender which shall be simple and efficient in operation and which may be economically manufactured and installed.

A more specific object of my invention is to reduce the variation in the load on the driving axles of a motorized locomotive tender as the tender load decreases from full to empty.

Another object of my invention is to increase the tractive effort of a motorized locomotive tender.

Other objects of my invention will be explained fully hereinafter or will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In accordance with one embodiment of my invention, the variation in driver load on a tender which has some idle and some motorized axles is materially reduced by utilizing a spring suspension which causes the idle axles to lose more load than the driving axles as the tender empties. This may be accomplished by providing springs over the idle axles which are stiffer than the springs over the driving axles, thereby causing the variation in load on the idle axles to be greater than that on the driving axles.

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of my invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

tures of m invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in side elevation of the locomotive tender, and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are diagrammatic views showing the spring deflections for various loads on a tender of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 1, the locomotive shown therein comprises a power unit In and a tender ll. As shown, each axle of the power unit is provided with an electric motor l2, which may be of any type suitable for driving theaxle. The power for the motors l2 may be supplied by a generator, or

generators, located in the power unit and driven by either a steam or a gas turbine or other suit able prime mover.

In accordance with the usual practice, the fuel for the prime mover is carried in the tender H.

As explained hereinbefore, the tractive effort of the locomotive may be increased by providing traction motors I! on some of the axles of the tender. However, in order to avoid slippage of the Thus, in the present structure, the normal,

variation in the load on the driving axles is materially reduced by providing motors for only part of the axles on the tender and by utilizing a spring suspension system which causes the nondriving axles to lose more load than the driving axles as the load carried by the tender decreases.

As previously explained, such a system can not be of the conventional three point type, but can be a system in which the stiffness of the springs over each axle affects the percent of the total load which the axle carries. Thus, if the springs over the idle axles of a partly motorized tender are stiffer than those over the driving axles, the variation in load on the idle axles will be greater than that on the driving axles.

As shown in Fig. 2, the body of the tender H is carried on four swivel trucks [3, instead of on two trucks as is the usual practice. The first and last trucks are motorized, each axle of these trucks being provided with an electric motor 12. As indicated, these trucks are provided with relatively soft springs H which may be of the leaf type. The intermediate trucks are non-motorized 2' f Figure 1 is a view, in side elevation, of a locomotive and tender embodying the principal feaand are provided with relatively stiff springs [5 which may also be of the leaf type.

As shown, the springs on each truck may be suspended from equalizing bars 16 which span the two axles on that truck. However, there is no equalization between the difierent trucks, the spring suspension system on each truck being independent of the. :other trucks.

In the example shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the load on each driving axle of a tender of the type illustrated and having soft springs with a scale of 17,850 lbs/in. and stiff springs witha scalevof 48,900 lbs/in. varies from 66,000 pounds for a .fully loaded tender as shown inIIEig. 4 to 152,500

pounds when the tender'is carrying lyof itsload as shown in Fig. 5. If the tenderwere provided with a spring suspension systemzofztheconyentional type, the load on each driving axle would drop to 41,000 pounds as compared with the'52 1500 pounds for the present isysteml The aforesaid tender weighs 528;000' 1bs. fully loaded and 32fi;000 :zlbs. "1% loaded. The unsprung weight of a motorized'truck is 25,000 lbs.-=and-non-motorized truckiisv15,'000 lbs.,:.as shown vin l ig. 3 in which "it is assumed that the tender body is lifted off the trucks.

"Thus, it will ibeisseen: that thewariatien in the load onlthe 'dfiiving axles 'iis lmater ia ll reduced bYllUiliZil'lg'Ta system :of the present :type. Ln this *manner, the *tractive 'efiord; "of the locomotendiency of the 'zdrivin'g -axles to slip when the tender lightly xloaded idecreaseol, thereby" permitting :sumcient power to be appliedwto the driving axles to make practically full use aoi the axle .loadwhen th locomotivesstarts w its-run and thetenderisifullyloaded.

Since numerous changes may be madein the above-described construction, "and diiferent embodiments of the :invention :may be made without departing; fromathe spiritaand scope thereof,

it isii-ntended thattall wmattericontained in the foregoing description or .shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall'belintenpreted asiillustrative and not in-a limitingsense.

II claimtas myinvention:

' 1. In 'a locomotive tender, in combination, a

plurality of non-driving trucks, a plurality of driving trucks having electric motors thereon, andindependently suspended springs on eac'hoi said trucks for supporting unequal portions of 30' tive -may' be -materially increased, since the "ditiognrthan'the springs on the motorized trucks.

3. .A locomotive tender comprising a bod and "aplurality of pairs ;of axles for supporting the .fbodygpart of saidraxles being non-driving and partof them being driving axles, andindependentlyxsuspended springs for each pair of said axles, the springs for the non-driving axles being stiffer and deflected less ,from a non-loaded to a loaded condition than the springs for the drivin'g ax-les.

4. A lecomotive tender comprisinga shady-and a plurality of trucks 'for supporting the "body, part. of said trucks being non-driving and part i of them being driving trucks, a ntlin'dependently suspended "springs on each of said tracks, the

springs on the non-driving =trucks being stiffer and deflected less from a non loa'ded to a loaded condition thanthe springs on the 'di iving trucks.

5. Alocomotivetender comprising a bod-yand a plurality of swivel trucks for supporting the body, part of said trucks being 'mo'tor'ized and part o'f them being non-motorized; :and springs on each of said trucks, the springs on each truck being independentof those on theother -:trucks,

and the springs on the non-motorized "trucks being stiffer and deflecte'd less from anon-loaded to a "loaded condition tha'n the springs on the motorizedtrucks.

BElRINARE FILA'NGER.

REFERENCES The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED PATENTS Number v Name Date 2,128,072 Brecht Aug. 23, 1938 2,256,978 Janeway Sept. 23, "1941' 2,384,925 Janeway "Sept. 18, I945 

